Cindi's Window ... Lake Living : Did you see that? Tell me you saw that.

Along with what seemed like a million of my closest friends, I ventured to the great beyond to witness a total eclipse. I went as a passenger with my middle child, and two of her three kids. We didn’t decide until Sunday morning that we were going to go…and with a quick text to some other family, we hit the road.

By other family I mean the ones that reside in Eclipseville, Kentawucka…or Hoptown or as it’s officially named, Hopkinsville, Kentucky. My granddaughter coined the “Kentuckawucka” during a game of making up songs or some such nonsense while on a long, late-in-the-day, car ride.

We had a blast. I originally tried to dissuade her from taking the five-hour car ride, then quickly changed my tune when I started to think of the loss of adventure. I wasn’t going to miss THIS. I am so glad I didn’t miss THAT.

So, we were lucky. Starting our drive at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, arriving well past bedtime, staying up WAY too late with my sweet-as-pie niece. No sleeping in the car, or in a tent or on the ground for us. We crashed their lovely home, drank her wine, kicked her sweet kids out of their beds for a night and then, just to make ourselves even more of a Yankee bore, we crashed their neighbors eclipse viewing party, complete with pork barbecue, mini moon pies (get it?) a pool, and super generous and gracious southerners all around.

After the eclipse, and the eating and swimming, we packed up the car and headed out about 4:30. Did really well for the first thirty minutes of driving and then, well, it caught up to us and every other northern bound guest of Kentucky. We arrived in Indianapolis at 1:00 a.m. having been slowed down, delayed, rained on, rerouted but never lost. What did we do before GPS? How did we EVER get from point A to point B? Goodness, God bless that technology.

So it took us 8.5 hours to make that five hour drive. We talked, we sang, we ate way too many licorice twists, we even tried not to bicker…but we did. We also got over it and had the best time. Seeing a TOTAL eclipse is different than seeing a partial eclipse and I can’t explain how. It was eerie, beautiful, fun, exciting, slightly scary, thought-provoking, conversation starting, memory making, road trip spawning…it was grand. We screamed and cheered at totality with strangers and group-gasped when it shifted off the surface of the sun to brighten us up in a flash. I loved it.

Hopkinsville did an absolutely fantastic job in getting ready for the influx of people they began preparing in earnest for five years ago. They actually began their planning ten years ago. It’s not like the eclipse was newly scheduled…they’ve known for a while. The town turned out for their visitors and it was glorious. Hopkinsville put it’s best foot and face forward. Proud of you, Hoptown!

I am totally on board for Indianapolis in 2024! Come on Indiana, lets show Kentucky what we’re made of!